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Understanding Employment-Based Green Card Timelines
The path from PERM filing to green card approval has many milestones — each with its own waiting period. This page aggregates anonymized timelines shared by the community so you can see what realistic durations look like at each stage.
PERM and I-140
Most employment-based green card cases start with PERM labor certification (Form 9089), filed by the employer with the Department of Labor. Once certified, the employer files Form I-140 (Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker) with USCIS to establish the foreign worker's qualifications and the priority date.
Priority Date and Visa Bulletin
The priority date is the date the labor certification was filed. Once an applicant's priority date becomes current per the monthly Visa Bulletin, they can file Form I-485 (Adjustment of Status) if in the U.S., or proceed to consular processing if abroad. Wait times to current date vary dramatically by country of chargeability and EB category.
EAD and Advance Parole
After filing I-485, applicants typically file Form I-765 (Employment Authorization) and Form I-131 (Advance Parole). These give work authorization and travel permission while the green card application is pending — often valuable for years given the multi-year I-485 backlog for India and China EB-2/EB-3.
How This Page Helps
We display timelines anonymously shared by community members showing actual durations between milestones — PERM filed to PERM approved, I-140 approved to I-485 filed, I-485 filed to green card approved, and so on. Filter by country, category, and processing center to find timelines closest to your situation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Anonymized timelines submitted by community members. USCIS processing time data sourced from egov.uscis.gov. Not legal advice.